Circulating Metabolites Linked to Risk for Incident Stroke

WEDNESDAY, Dec. 2, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Circulating metabolites, including amino acids, glycolysis-related metabolites, acute phase reaction markers, and lipoprotein subfractions, are associated with the risk for stroke, according to research published online Dec. 2 in Neurology.

Dina Vojinovic, Ph.D., from the University Medical Center in Rotterdam, Netherlands, and colleagues examined the association between metabolites and the risk for stroke in seven prospective cohort studies, which included 1,791 incident stroke events among 38,797 participants. Circulating metabolites were measured with nuclear magnetic resonance technology.

The researchers identified 10 significant metabolite associations. Associations with the risk for stroke were seen for amino acid histidine (hazard ratio per standard deviation, 0.90), glycolysis-related metabolite pyruvate (hazard ratio per standard deviation, 1.09), acute phase reaction marker glycoprotein acetyls (hazard ratio per standard deviation, 1.09), and cholesterol in high-density lipoprotein 2 and several other lipoprotein particles. A significant association was seen with phenylalanine (hazard ratio per standard deviation, 1.12) and total and free cholesterol in large HDL particles when focusing on incident ischemic stroke.

“Our analysis provides new insights into how the risk of stroke may be affected on the molecular level. It also raises new questions,” Vojinovic said in a statement. “Future studies are needed to further research the biological mechanisms underlying these associations between metabolites and risk of stroke.”

One author disclosed financial ties to Nightingale Health Ltd., which offers metabolomics profiling. Several of the studies disclosed funding from the biopharmaceutical industry.

Abstract/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)